The Bookworm and The Flame
by musical sphinx
Summary: Hermione and Ginny have always been good friends- but is that about to change? As the two reenter the whirlwind of school, Hermione in her sixth year and Ginny in her fifth, their friendship is fueled by the wild ride of adventure that comes of being friends with Harry Potter, and begins to develop into... something more?


**Hello everyone! First off, just a quick disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters involved, they are the sole property of J K Rowling. I'm not sure how successful this is going to be, as it's my first story, so I'm just testing the waters with this chapter! Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Ginny dropped into the chair, a brooding expression on her face.

"Harry problems?"

"Sorta."

Hermione sighed and shut her book. She'd been hoping to get some studying done, but Ginny clearly needed to talk.

And anyway, she'd been expecting this. Ever since Ginny had met Harry Potter, she had had a massive crush on him. Over the past five years, Hermione had given her a constant stream of advice on how to get his attention, or, depending on the situation, how to get over him. Ginny hadn't mentioned Harry at all since Hermione had arrived at the Burrow, but ever since his arrival two days ago, Hermione had been waiting for Ginny to bring it up.

"Well, let's hear it, then."

Ginny frowned, seeming hesitant.

"What happened?" said Hermione, more gently.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Well, you see, I've been waiting for him to get here all summer. I've been imagining his arrival, thinking about how sweet and funny and handsome and perfect he'll be. But now that he's here, I've realized…"

She trailed off, a curious expression on her face, then glanced up at Hermione.

"I don't think I fancy him anymore."

"What!?" exclaimed Hermione.

"Well, he used to make my heart race whenever I was near him, and it was really hard to act natural whenever he spoke to me, but now, I mean, he's a nice guy and all, but he just doesn't really turn me on. I suppose none of the boys I've dated recently have really turned me on. Michael Corner was okay, and Dean is nice, but… I don't know, I've just been getting bored of them much faster than usual."

"Huh." said Hermione, unsure of how to reply. Congratulations on getting over Harry? I'm sure you'll find someone interesting eventually? "Well, perhaps you should try being single for a while. It might help you find boys interesting again, or perhaps find a more interesting boy."

"Yeah, I suppose." said Ginny halfheartedly. She looked like she was about to say something else when she was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door.

"Dinner!"

"Oh, well, I guess we can resume this conversation later." said Ginny as they heard Ron's footsteps clattering away down the stairs. "Oh, and I wanted your help with this essay I've got to write for Flitwick- it's about the different types of freezing charms, and I was having some trouble describing the effects of a Flame-Freezing charm."

"Sure thing." replied Hermione, holding the door open for her friend.

* * *

However, they didn't get to resume their conversation for a while. After dinner, Hermione went off to Ron's room to play several games of wizard chess with Ron and Harry, while Ginny was roped into helping Fleur with wedding preparations. By the time they got back to Ginny's room, it was so late they both went straight to bed. After that, both of them simply forgot.

They did, however, get around to working on Ginny's essay the next morning.

"Now, just put your hand in the flame and you'll see."

Ginny wavered, unsure. "You're positive you've done the spell correctly?"

The flame in question belonged to the candle sitting in front of them. Hermione, having decided that the best way to explain to Ginny how a Freezing charm felt was to show her, had just put said charm on it.

"Oh, it's perfectly safe, I promise you." replied Hermione, exasperated. "Just put your hand in it already-" Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand, meaning to force it into the flames. But when her hand touched Ginny's, it was as if she had received an electric shock. They both inhaled sharply. After a moment's pause, Hermione continued, thrusting Ginny's hand into the tiny fire. Rather than burning her, as she had expected, it tickled, and Ginny giggled, releasing the tension.


End file.
